The name Sam Jacks may not mean much to most Canadians, but 50 years ago this spring, the former director of parks and recreation for the city of North Bay changed the future of female sport forever.

Dedicated to developing an ice sport for girls as an alternative to the male-dominated game of hockey, Jacks implemented a simple stroke of genius and invented the game of ringette.

In the half century since the sport’s humble beginnings on frozen ponds in northern Ontario, the rules of ringette have evolved and its founder has passed away. But for young girls across the nation, the bladeless stick and rubber ring have become a source of winter wonderment.

As ringette clubs from Halifax to Vancouver prepare to recognize the milestone anniversary, one of the biggest celebrations will take place in Waterloo, when the city hosts the Provincial Ringette AA Championships this weekend.

The annual tournament, which features the top AA teams from across Ontario, will run from March 7 to 10. Games will be played at various venues throughout the city, including Moses Springer Community Centre, Albert McCormick Arena and the RIM Park Manulife Sportsplex.

Laura Scanling, vice-president of the Waterloo Ringette Association, says the final league tournament of the season is always the one players most look forward to.

“The goal for most of the teams from the beginning of the season is to make it to provincials, and to hopefully go from there to nationals.”

But according to Scanling, who played ringette growing up, the coaches and athletes aren’t the only ones who have been preparing for the big event.

“The volunteer committee has worked hundreds of hours preparing for this,” she says. “We basically started putting a team together last summer and have been working hard at it ever since.”

A total of about 600 players from 42 teams ranging from under-14 (Tween) to 18-plus (Open) will compete in the tournament, some from as far away as Gloucester and Nepean. The round robin competition will feature a total of about 150 games over the course of four days, with each team guaranteed a minimum of six.

Scanling expects the festivities, which are free and open to the public, to draw about 2,000 spectators. In addition to the games, the tournament will feature an opening ceremony and a keynote address from 14-year-old Annaleise Carr, the youngest person to ever swim across Lake Ontario.

Bridget Speek is one of the coaches of the under-14 AA Waterloo Wildfire. Her team finished the regular season in fourth place in its division and she expects it to be one of the top squads in this weekend’s tournament.

“The girls are playing fantastic, so I expect them to do really well,” says Speek, who has been coaching for 10 years. “They’ve become very focused and I think they’re as tight as a team can get right now.”

Speek, whose 12-year-old daughter Chloe plays on the team, says the opportunity to play in front of a hometown crowd is good for not only the players, but also for the fans.

“A lot of the time, the girls are travelling, so some of their schoolmates have never seen them play. Tournaments like this are an opportunity to have some friends, neighbours and even some teachers come out to cheer them on.”

Chloe, whose team has been on the road for each of its four tournaments this year, says she is looking forward to the home ice advantage for a change.

“I like travelling because you get to spend more time with your team, but when you’re hosting, you have the advantage of being at your own house and sleeping in your own bed.”

Chloe, who began playing ringette at the age of three, says her favourite thing about the sport is the social aspect.

“I’ve met a lot of friends in ringette,” says the Grade 7 MacGregor Public School student. “Even some of the girls I’ve played against, I’ve become really close with.”

Not lost on Chloe, however, is the competitive nature of the sport.

“Off the ice it’s a lot of fun, but when you get on the ice it’s a lot more serious,” she says.

Win or lose, Bridget says the most important thing at tournaments like this is to give all of the girls an opportunity to shine.

“At this age level, we try to give the girls even ice time and let them all play,” Speek says. “We really want to give them all a chance to be that player that can make a difference.”